Only three minority school administrators in Monroe County

Monday

Jan 21, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 21, 2013 at 10:42 AM

Two longtime New York City educators renewed their careers here after moving to Monroe County as job commuters. They are among only three minorities to break through the 45-member ranks of school administrators and high-level officials in the East Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain and Stroudsburg school districts.

DAVID PIERCE

Two longtime New York City educators renewed their careers here after moving to Monroe County as job commuters.

Irene Livingston is the building principal at East Stroudsburg Elementary School and Mark Wade supervises special education at the Pocono Mountain East Campus. Both are African-Americans who worked for the New York City Education Department and commuted daily to those jobs before taking local school jobs.

Livingston and Wade are among only three minorities to break through the 45-member ranks of school administrators and high-level officials in the East Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain and Stroudsburg school districts, according to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission figures.

Livingston rose through the ranks of the New York system, from teacher to assistant principal, principal and deputy superintendent for instruction and curriculum, over 33 years.

She and husband Kenneth relocated to the the Poconos in 2000, with Livingston commuting to New York for five years before qualifying for retirement.

She is in her eighth year at the East Stroudsburg Area School District, serving as the ESE principal since the 670-student building opened five years ago. She started in East Stroudsburg as assistant principal at J.T. Lambert Intermediate School.

"I looked into it and thought it would be a great thing," Livingston said of working locally. "I thought I'd be a great role model."

She is thrilled with the way things turned out.

"I love the challenge," Livingston said. "I love the responsibilities. I'm motivated to be a leader in my building. It's so exciting that children can be successful and helping them."

Livingston said she has always adopted a "children first" philosophy. She says it is important for minority and white students alike to see minorities in positions of authority.

"I think it makes all the difference in the world," she said. "They see someone who's like them and they say, 'Gee if they can do that, I can do that.'"

Wade took a similar journey, moving to Jackson Township in 1998 and commuting back to the West Bronx Academy for the Future, where he was assistant principal, for 10 years. He has been with Pocono Mountain for five years, first as assistant principal at Pocono Mountain East High School, before becoming the East Campus special education supervisor a year ago.

"I got tired of the commute," Wade said.

Salaries for educational administrators in Monroe County are generally $20,000 to $30,000 less than in New York, Wade said, yet he is happy to be working locally in special education.

"I like being around kids and I like seeing kids learn," Wade said, pointing to interactions with teachers. "I get to be involved in the entire spectrum."